Spruce Creek

PLANT CITY — For Durant coach Butch Valdes, it was as true six years ago as it was Saturday night: there was no way Kissimmee Osceola was going to beat his Cougars on their home field. “For me, it was one of those things,” Valdes said. “You come into our house, and we’ve been flawless in our house.

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS — Moments after storming the diamond, dousing senior pitching ace Brandon Neely with water, dogpiling on the left side of the infield and chanting and bouncing inside the visitor's dugout, Spruce Creek posed for celebratory pictures in relative silence. The Hawks' message, though, was loud and clear. Each player held up two fingers — "two more," the number of wins still needed to capture the program's second state championship.

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS – Lake Brantley junior Evan Griffis could not take his eyes off the ball Wednesday night, even after it left his bat for the final time in the bottom of the sixth inning to put an early end to a Class 7A regional baseball semifinal. Griffis took a moment to marvel at the 3-run blast toward the wall in left field before rounding the bases and celebrating a 12-1 run-rule win vs. visiting Hagerty (16-12) alongside teammates at home plate.